According to the Statistical Report on the Development of the Internet in China, as of June 2022, the number of Internet users in China reached 1.051 billion, and the Internet penetration rate reached 74.4%.

With the increasing Internet penetration rate, the continuous expansion of the functions of smart phones has enabled them to provide services to users in more and more scenarios. However, the accompanying telecommunications fraud has also gradually increased.

In 2020, the Ministry of Public Security solved a total of 322,000 telecommunications network fraud cases, arrested 361,000 criminal suspects, and stopped and froze more than 272 billion yuan of funds involved in the cases; in 2021, a total of more than 441,000 telecommunications network fraud cases were solved, more than 690,000 criminal suspects were arrested, and more than 320 billion yuan of funds involved in the cases were stopped and frozen.

What is telecommunications network fraud?

The Anti - Telecommunications Network Fraud Law of the People's Republic of China, adopted at the 36th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress on September 2, 2022, will come into effect on December 1, 2022.

Telecommunications network fraud refers to the act of defrauding public and private property by using telecommunications network technology means through remote, non - contact and other methods for the purpose of illegal possession.

What are the means of telecommunications network fraud?

The relevant state departments have severely cracked down on telecommunications network fraud. However, affected by various factors, the situation of telecommunications network fraud activities is still severe. Fraudsters go to great lengths to customize and carefully design words for different groups of people, resulting in an endless stream of fraud types and ever - changing means.

Telecommunications network fraud takes various forms. Among them, the five major types of fraud, namely, rebate for online brushing, false investment and financial management, false online loans, impersonation, and fraud by posing as customer service or public servants, account for nearly 80% of fraud cases and show a continuous upward trend, becoming the five most prominent high - incidence types of cases.

(I) Means of high - incidence types of telecommunications network fraud

1. Fraud by impersonating an "acquaintance" or a "leader": The leader takes the initiative to add a friend, wins trust through warm - hearted care, and asks for a transfer on various pretexts.

2. Fraud by impersonating "public security, procuratorial and judicial organs": Illegally obtaining personal information, fabricating reasons for committing a crime, and brainwashing the victim deeply to ask for a transfer.

3. Fraud by impersonating a "customer service": Impersonating a customer service to claim a refund, asking the victim to click on a link to enter information, and turning the refund process into a transfer.

4. Fraud in the name of false investment and financial management (the so - called "pig - butchering scam"): Promoting financial management information online, winning trust with so - called inside information, giving small favors as a trial, and then blocking the victim after getting the victim to increase the investment.

5. Fraud through false online loans (the so - called "fish - killing scam"): Sending mass messages to offer loans and defrauding by asking for advance payments.

(II) New means of telecommunications network fraud

1. "New concepts"

With the development of society and the progress of technology, emerging technologies continue to appear in people's lives. Through popular Internet concepts such as the so - called "metaverse", "blockchain", and "digital collectibles", and under the guise of so - called "virtual currency", "virtual assets", and "digital assets", fraudsters fabricate various eye - catching money - making gimmicks and promise high returns to induce consumers to participate in investment.

The so - called "future" of the metaverse brings scams uninvited. Most of the concepts hyped in this regard are just gimmicks. In essence, they are all Ponzi schemes that use new funds to pay off old debts, and the capital operation will be difficult to sustain.

2. "New hotspots"

At present, many means of telecommunications network fraud closely follow the epidemic situation, and the means of telecommunications network fraud related to the epidemic have been gradually upgraded. Fraudsters claim to be staff members of the epidemic prevention department, saying that there is a problem with the nucleic acid test result or using the pretext of checking the health code to obtain the SMS verification code or bank card number, etc.

Real epidemic prevention personnel will not ask questions unrelated to the epidemic such as personal property, nor will they ask for personal information such as the SMS verification code or bank card number, and will never send a link for you to click on for any reason.

How to prevent and combat fraud?

(I) Do not disclose personal information and strengthen account management

All frauds follow the same principle. Improve the awareness of personal information security, strictly manage application permissions, and be vigilant when it comes to the invocation of personal information permissions such as personal address books, photo albums, and locations. Many forms of telecommunications fraud take obtaining personal privacy information as a necessary step. Guard the first pass of personal information and prevent the leakage of personal information at the source.

(II) Do not click on unknown links and do not answer strange calls

Facing various new hotspots and new concepts of telecommunications fraud means, keep a clear head and be vigilant against scams from multiple dimensions: Do not answer strange calls, do not click on links and suspicious QR codes from unknown sources, and must operate on the official website; beware of phishing traps, do not provide bank accounts, passwords, verification codes and other information to strangers; public security, procuratorial and judicial organs will not handle cases through telephone or network channels, and there is no so - called "safe account".

(III) Download the National Anti - Fraud App to prevent telecommunications network fraud

The National Anti - Fraud App is a software that can effectively prevent fraud and quickly report fraud content. It contains rich anti - fraud knowledge. By learning, users can effectively avoid telecommunications network fraud and improve their anti - fraud ability. The most powerful feature is that it can give early warnings of fraud behaviors.

Since April 2021, the National Anti - Fraud Center has pushed 145 million early warning instructions, intercepted 2.81 billion fraud calls and 3.36 billion text messages, blocked 4 million fraud - related domain names and websites, and urgently stopped and froze 551.8 billion yuan of funds involved in cases, successfully preventing 109 million people from being deceived.

Here, we remind everyone to consciously resist various temptations, firmly believe that "there is no free lunch in the sky" and "there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world", and abandon the mentality of taking advantage and the fluke mentality of "I'm not the last one to be deceived". Even though fraud methods are emerging in an endless stream, they are just wearing different disguises. At the same time, the technology in the field of anti - fraud is also advancing with the times. Individuals should also resist the "temptation" and protect their "wallets" when facing telecommunications network fraud.